MSNBC gives Olbermann and Matthews the boot....

[MobBoss]

Well, at least they are better than O'Reily and other Conservative hacks on Faux News.

In what manner? They are losing the ratings war....badly.

 

[DNK]

Boring can be interesting if you're interested in the uninteresting

 

[GenMarshall]

In what manner? They are losing the ratings war....badly.

All cable news networks are fighting the ratings war. I don't like the conservative tripe and crap (and belittilings to liberal sided people) that O'Reily and Faux News casters try to pull off as "fair and ballanced".

 

[skadistic]

What is Faux news?

 

[mangxema]

I kinda liked Olbermann. He seemed more eloquent than your average commentator. Still, I never watch him much, because of habit (same reason I never watch movies on HBO..I'm not used to having it) We do actually get MSNBC here at school, but then again, we also have several channels in Arabic.

Oh well...

 

[illram]

I was having a good time watching the DNC coverage on MSNBC and then turning to Fox News for their coverage of the same thing, it was pretty funny. Everything was either totally awesome and kick-ass or a miserable failure and not nearly good enough.

Olbermann's show is interesting at times and I think he's good at what he does (i.e. opinion), but he does not really belong anywhere near a job that requires neutrality. Mathews is just plain annoying.

 

[MrPopov]

I prefer O'Reilly to Olberman and I am quite a liberal idealist. I just think O'Reilly has more intelligence than the MSNBC guys that got canned. However, I really really can't stand the "omg Internet is killing America we need to sensationalize more" type stuff O'Reilly has on his show sometimes.

I also really can't stand the social conservatives O'Reilly puts on his show with their "small town" values. Why make a huge deal when a city council, to avoid future law suits (I agree, lawsuits for stuff like this is dumb) replaces an opening prayer with a moment of silence so you can pray however you want FFS!

 

[Berzerker]

So, despite all of our membership lamenting over Foxnews...it does seem to be winning the ratings wars. Is this because it is indeed more balanced than most? Or is it because the country is filled to the brim with conservative pinheads?

aint as popular as porn

Fox filled a niche and still does - Repubs tired of the liberal media. Same reason Rush was/is so popular... If Rush and Fox entered markets saturated with established conservative/Repub radio and TV shows they wouldn't have the same popularity. Liberals and all non-Fox viewers have the expansive "liberal" media to select from so individual media outlets have to compete more for less marketshare.

If another network with a truly conservative philosophy and not a rubber stamp mentality like Fox started up to compete with Fox those ratings would go down. I tend to watch networks in opposition to the established power so I get more relevant news instead of WH spin and fluff, I was a fan of Paul Weyrich's network and Rush when the Clinton's were in power. With the rubber stamp Repubs in power I gravitate to their outspoken critics, including Olbermann. But having him co-anchor coverage is almost as bad as Hannity or O'Reilly doin the deed for Fox.

 

[MobBoss]

aint as popular as porn

Maybe that explains the lack of liberal/lefty biased news viewership ratings.

Fox filled a niche and still does

If you lead in the ratings....you are no longer a 'niche'.

Repubs tired of the liberal media. Same reason Rush was/is so popular... If Rush and Fox entered markets saturated with established conservative/Repub radio and TV shows they wouldn't have the same popularity.

Uh...wrong. Talk radio is indeed saturated with conservative radio talkshows/stations (i.e. Fairness doctrine right?) and they still do well in that market.

Liberals and all non-Fox viewers have the expansive "liberal" media to select from so individual media outlets have to compete more for less marketshare.

So, are you then confirming the 'liberal' bias among news media now?

If another network with a truly conservative philosophy and not a rubber stamp mentality like Fox started up to compete with Fox those ratings would go down.

But other stations have indeed tried this with people like Glenn Beck havent they?

 

[Rashiminos]

I think it has a little more to do with the incidental coverage. Olbermann and Matthews had some loud protesters in the background of their programs. Chants of "9/11 was an inside job" were audible.

 

[Trajan12]

I watched the MSNBC coverage of the convention, but I don't recall watching the commentary. However, I think both Matthews and Olbermann are grating to listen to, even though they have their moments(as does any political commentator, yes I've even had times when I agreed vehemently with O'Rielly).

I shy away from cable news in general, unless they have non-partisan experts speaking.

 

[angrybellsprout]

Keith provides a perspective that is absent from mainstream media and really has at times done what reporters should, confront BS.

The only perspective that Olbermann gives is the same whiny ass . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . that I hear from 16 year old kids. He is the single biggest source of . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . on the tv, even Sean Hannity runs a distant second to him.

 

[Miles Teg]

If you lead in the ratings....you are no longer a 'niche'.

Come on Mobby, you're smarter than that.

 

[Neomega]

damn librul media

 

[Berzerker]

Maybe that explains the lack of liberal/lefty biased news viewership ratings.

If liberals have more options in the vast liberal media, then you cant explain it by comparing Fox to any individual liberal outlet - liberal viewership is divided up far more among many outlets. Is Fox shooting down its own complaint about a vast liberal media dominating the country by bragging how more popular they are?

If you lead in the ratings....you are no longer a 'niche'.

Why? What national network is devoted to competing with Fox for Repubs and conservatives? Fox filled a void (a niche) and still does - if Fox disappeared the niche would still be there waiting for someone to tap the market. Its popularity is proof of that... Fox' ratings would go down if it had to compete with other TV news networks catering to the right.

Uh...wrong. Talk radio is indeed saturated with conservative radio talkshows/stations (i.e. Fairness doctrine right?) and they still do well in that market.

But that wasn't the situation when Rush and Fox entered the market, they filled niches and went national. Now they are the established competition and they and all the other hosts (saturation) make it harder for a conservative to break in and gain marketshare.

So, are you then confirming the 'liberal' bias among news media now?

I've never denied it, I always thought it was obvious (I'm a Babar supporter, dont that tell you something? ). But Fox has made strides in "balancing" that bias with a Republican bias. Albeit if we ask liberals I suspect a majority would disown much of the corporate media so how are we defining liberal?

But other stations have indeed tried this with people like Glenn Beck havent they?

They're trying, but breaking into a saturated market is harder than filling a niche. But CNN (Clinton News Network) and MSNBC adding 1 or 2 right wingers to the cast is a nice gesture, but it dont mean they've become devoted to the right any more than Fox casting Alan Colmes is proof of its balance.

 

[mangxema]

Olbermann's show is interesting at times and I think he's good at what he does (i.e. opinion), but he does not really belong anywhere near a job that requires neutrality. Mathews is just plain annoying.

Word.

[Olbermann] is the single biggest source of . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . on the tv, even Sean Hannity runs a distant second to him.

Really? I find that hard to believe. Hannity is entirely . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

 

[Berzerker]

Hannity is a professional (he's paid) liar and hypocrite without remorse or conscience. He'll lie to your face and express self-righteous indignation at your skepticism and laugh it off when given the proof of his BS, and thats when he lets you talk. Usually he dont give people the chance to expose him, but every once in a while someone nails him with a quick comeback he cant head off. The irony is that Fox has this habit of hiring obnoxious hypocrites who talk about virtue as if constantly interrupting people and talking over people and general rudeness are indeed virtuous. Teach yer children well...

 

[Cutlass]

Well there's plenty of non-partisan sources of the news that divides up the audience for non-partisan news. There's 1 source for Republican news.

 

[JollyRoger]

So, despite all of our membership lamenting over Foxnews...it does seem to be winning the ratings wars. Is this because it is indeed more balanced than most? Or is it because the country is filled to the brim with conservative pinheads?

It is because Fox does the fake conservative blowhard better than Comedy Central.

 

[woody60707]

Well, it's a change for the best.

"But, really now, FOX News is still rubbish. It's quite apparent that MSNBC viewers have higher standards because none of them can stand FOX, hence the reason they're not watching it, and are now demanding change at MSNBC. No one complains about FOX's blatant issues because most people that watch it are uncritical and easily persuaded."

See how you can spin things any which way? Pretty pointless, imo.

lol nice spin.